MikeOH

I spoke with David when I was having a problem with my STEC-30 after another shop had messed it up....based on the symptom he told me there was a high chance it was just a bent pin on a connector...he was right! Five minutes and fixed it myself. If I have another AP problem that's where I'm taking it.

For this small amount of money it won't matter if it's prepared by Thurgood Marshall on parchment with a gold seal and notarized signatures, or an unsigned napkin with notes in felt pen....there's no way it would be worth going to court over.

On the one hand, $3,200 is a pretty cheap buy-in. If you can't live with that kind of loss, then ownership, even 10%, is probably not for you. On the other, this 'deal' seems a little to convoluted and a bit hinky, to me....be careful, this whole thing could unravel in a year or so and you'll be out $3,200. But, if you fly it a lot in the meantime, while he's deployed, and just put in gas an oil that's not too bad!.

Be aware that with the carbureted engine in a M20B you may not be able to run LOP, but worth a try. I'm coming up on 2400 hours SMOH, crossing my fingers! I bought as a run-out (2100 SMOH), so I'm not too worried about the cost of an OH. I think 3500 or more is bit unrealistic, however! Read some of Mike Busch's stuff; I believe he went 3300 hours on his engines.

You need to find better CFIs! To be fair, they usually don't reside at your typical flight school; a good one is worth a damn sight more than Ramen wages! You WILL pay more, but you need to seek out a seasoned CFI. Further, you'll probably have to; most flight schools won't train you in your own plane. Typically, this is due to their insurance requirements. First year, you're going to be looking at several thousand a year for insurance. I fly a little under 100 hours per year in my M20F and I'm running right around $15K per year, ALL in. And, I mean EVERYTHING: I track shop towels and spark plug washer costs! I'm sure maintenance would go up a bit if I flew 500 hours per year, but a good estimate would be to just add in fuel and oil. Running LOP I can dial back to 8 gph. Good luck!

Given your clearly stated goal of building time in your own plane since your business won't allow for the CFI route, I think your choice of a short body Mooney is a good one. While I don't have personal experience, I did consider buying a Mooney from a guy that had done EXACTLY what you propose: he bought a short body Mooney and flew the Hell out of it to build his time. He was selling since he had just landed his first airline job (RJs, of course). IIRC, he took 2-3 years to do it (had a family and decent job, so the CFI route wasn't for him, either. 10-15 hours a week will do it. Personally, if I was young and wanting to gain experience for a pilot career, I think this is a far, far better way than being a CFI doing the same thing over and over. This guy flew that Mooney all over the country, and looked for flyable IMC (no TS or icing). Heck, I quit using CFIs at flight schools for my IPCs since most of them will NOT fly in IMC; heck, some won't even file IFR! Seems to me he had far better and broader experience than any 1500 hour CFI coming from a flight school (especially those in southern California or Arizona!)

Holy crap that's HOT! I just got back from the hangar and it was around 105 in the plane...I'm not going to ask for sympathy after seeing that!!!

Well....this was a bit of a 'you get what you didn't pay for" kind of thing. IIRC, it was a "training" exercise for the Marines & Seabees...a bargain, if you will.

It was an attempt at humor...your missing that is why I don't quit my day job

Here ya go! https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/109149996/earl-a_-scheib Tell him Mike sent ya

Nah, just go in with some buddies and buy your oil in 55 gallon barrels and reuse the bottles

Yeah, I have the two blade prop. Is yours electric gear like mine? No idea how much that adds. I have an STEC-30 AP with altitude hold. Speed brakes. Still, seems like close to 100 lbs if you take out the 3 blade prop. I guess I should spend some quality time with the W&B...

1035 lbs!! Dang, Rags I'm jealous. I've only 970 in my F...time for a diet, I guess.

Doing your best to drive up your Garmin stock, eh?

Also, be aware that a BSV will burn a tad more than 9 gph

Be careful with thinking purchase price is what makes it 'affordable.' That's just the ante...the $30-$40K plane could easily cost just as much to own and operate as the $70K one. My rule of thumb: one best be comfortable spending $15K-$20K per year to own and operate a single engine Mooney type aircraft.

Sadly, judging by the number of planes rotting away on ramps all over the country, I suspect it's more common than we would like to believe.

Truer words have never been written. Those are the EXACT reasons I waited until the kids were through college and the house paid off before I bought my own plane. If the plane will sit because it needs to wait for the owner to get an AMU or two scraped up before a repair then, IMHO, ownership should not be in the cards.

YUUP. Sorry, but I don't think there's such an animal as a flawless/'bang up' PPI. You are just NOT paying for that number of hours. And, a PPI isn't quite the same list as an annual; nor is it intended to be.

If you choose to disassemble the starter switch be aware that the electrical contacts that you are cleaning are typically plated with a VERY thin layer (possibly only 50 micro inches) of special metal that will withstand making and breaking current without corroding away. If you use ANY kind of abrasive you WILL remove that plating and the 'fix' will be VERY temporary. Cleaning ONLY! After which you can examine the contact area with an eye lupe/magnifier to see if the plating has already been worn away. I.e., the switch is worn out. Sometimes, new does make sense versus repair.

Price seems right for the engine time and equipment. BIGGEST thing for me would be recent use: last two years being crucial. If it has sat for two years I would be concerned that the engine might need work much sooner than the hours would indicate. The engine is always a crap shoot, but there's a premium built into the price for the low time engine...make sure you're getting something for that money.

What do you think I'm selling?

And, THAT, will be a sad day, indeed. I rather enjoy making my upshifts at the correct point, and matching revs on a downshift. Substituting a loudspeaker for a set of open headers is pathetic. The counterpoint to embracing "don't fight change as it is inevitable", is not all change is for the better. The endgame of all this 'wonderful' technological advancement (because, who doesn't want to be just a teensy, tiny, bit safer, right? What kind of crazy person would say otherwise, right?), is what I like to call "brains in a jar.". I.e., we will all end up like the Matrix. How's that sound? I know I, and sounds like Hank, will be volunteering to serve on the Nebuchadnezzer

SKYNET will be self aware in no time....not a fan, sorry.

Ok. That sounds like a pretty good system if it employs a liquid-air HE. May have to look into that (it's frickin' 103 right now, nearly 6 pm. No WAY I'd go flying right now!) Another poster mentioned the Li batteries for the true AC....that's a MAJOR downside I hadn't thought about for that unit